Tommy Mace has kept the Florida baseball team close in many of his starts on the mound this season.
That was not the case on Friday night in Athens, Georgia.
Center fielder Tucker Maxwell, the first Georgia batter of the game, homered off Mace. It didn’t get much better from there.
The Gators’ best pitcher this season was anything but that against the Bulldogs, matching a season-low 3.1 innings and walking a career-high seven batters.
UF did not overcome an early deficit due to its pitching woes and fell 6-4 to No. 9 Georgia.
When Christian Scott relieved Mace in the fourth inning, Florida trailed 2-1.
Scott inherited runners on first and second after Mace’s sixth and seventh walks of the evening. Scott didn’t improve the situation by hitting the first batter he faced to load the bases. He eventually escaped the inning, but not before allowing three runs (two of which were Mace’s) on two hits to give the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead.
The Gators’ only run in the first six innings came in the second as a result of a UGA error. Catcher Brady Smith scored from second following an error by Georgia first baseman Patrick Sullivan. Smith continues to be Florida’s best hitter as of late. He finished 2 for 3 on Friday and is 17 for 37 in his last 14 games.
UF (28-19, 9-13 SEC) added two runs in the seventh inning on an RBI double from third baseman Cory Acton and an RBI groundout from shortstop Brady McConnell. Second baseman Jacob Young scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning for Florida’s fourth run, but the comeback attempt ended there.
Tony Locey went six innings on the mound for the Bulldogs (35-12, 14-8 SEC) and earned his eighth win of the season. He had six strikeouts to just one walk and allowed two earned runs on four hits. In his stead came Ryan Webb and Zac Kristofak, who earned his sixth save of the season.
Conversely, Florida had to dip deep into its bullpen after Mace’s struggles forced coach Kevin O’Sullivan to look for a replacement earlier than usual. After Mace and Scott, four more arms out of the UF bullpen were utilized -- none for more than 1.1 innings.
Neither team was overly impressive at the plate. Both the Gators and the Bulldogs had seven hits apiece. Georgia drew nine walks to Florida’s three, however, creating more baserunners and more opportunities to score, which they took advantage of.
“We’ve given up a lot of runs on not a lot of hits,” O’Sullivan said. “When you give them 10 free baserunners that makes it difficult.
The loss drops Florida’s record to 3-10 away from home, surpassing its road loss total from 2018 (9) in eight fewer games.
Follow Kyle Wood on Twitter @Kkylewood. Contact him at kwood@alligator.org.
Pitcher Tommy Mace struggled as Florida dropped the opener of its series with Georgia.
